Five Car Chemicals That Will Kill You - and How

Is your garage a deathtrap? We'll go ahead and say yes, because it's the alarmist answer. To find out why, we spoke with Dr. Cyrus Rangan, MD, from the California Poison Control System (CPCS). Here are five chemicals that can destroy you, in no particular order. hTori Tellem

Toxic Alcohols

We've got a trifecta of death here: ethylene glycol (coolant/antifreeze), methanol (washer fluid), and diethylene glycol (brake fluid). Each could cause some mild skin irritation (in the form of redness) upon contact, but if you ingest them (which raises the question: Why are you doing that?), things get fun: Your liver might convert them to highly toxic acids that could damage all tissues in your body, with special attention paid to the kidneys, heart, and brain. As in, the kidneys may shut down, you might develop an irregular heartbeat, and your central nervous system could also power down, resulting in convulsions and coma. You could go blind, too. Hey, did you know methanol is the same alcohol found in homemade moonshine?

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Hydrocarbons

They're in the stuff you're constantly around: gas, tranny fluid, motor oil, WD-40, and brake cleaner. Beyond being highly irritating to the skin ("hydrocarbons cause a ‘degreasing' reaction with the natural oils in your skin, leading to intense redness and even mild burns," Dr. Rangan explains), they have sort of the same effect on your innards: burning and irritation to the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Once absorbed, hydrocarbons may try again to murder you by harming the heart, liver, and stomach. By the way, the stomach? Double your pleasure: You may start coughing and vomiting, allowing the chemicals to come back up and go straight for your lungs, and even a small amount of that could cause serious lung damage--enough to put you in the ICU and on a respirator.

Battery Acid

As you'd guess, exposure to this comes from a leaking battery. The acid could burn your eyes, mouth, throat, stomach, intestines, and skin--we're talking severe burns in any of those areas, and again with the "bowel perforation and bleeding."

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Methylene Chloride

You'll find this chemical in paint stripper. As with the others, it could irritate your skin if you get it on you, and ingesting it could affect your mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines, causing severe burns and bleeding. Once absorbed, it goes right for the liver and heart. The liver converts it to carbon monoxide, "and it can kill you in exactly the same way as inhaled carbon monoxide from a fire, shutting down all systems in your body, including your brain."

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Regarding all the chemicals listed here, Dr. Rangan says, "Soap and water are reasonable for cleansing the skin. But virtually all ingestions will require a trip to the ER; in some cases, antidotes help neutralize the poisoning." If a person is unresponsive or not breathing after ingestion, call 911. If they are conscious and breathing, call CPCS at 800.222.1222. It's the largest provider of poison-control services in the U.S. You can get weekly texts from CPCS about home safety, product recalls, and more by texting TIPS to 69866, or find 'em on Facebook and Twitter (@poisoninfo).